Fruit of Love
by Azeel Rose
Summary: Malcolm has lost the love of his life! How will he go on? Warning!: Not what it seems. PG for swearing. SR


Disclaimer: POP QUIZ!!! 1. Do I own Enterprise? Answer: NO!!! But of course you being the smart reader that you are already knew that. Um . . . you did right?  
  
Author's Note (Otherwise known as Lunatic Musings. Read if you feel like wasting time.): Good morning, afternoon, or evening! Just a little fun! Nothing important. Oh, except I think this material might be on the SAT! Just kidding. No this story is not on the SAT. It should be though.  
  
The Fruit of Love

"Nooooooooo!" Malcolm Reed screamed in desperation as he watched the love of his life fall

to the ground. Scrambling on his knees through the noisy commotion to the soft form that lay

ahead, Malcolm couldn't help but think that he was the malefic cause of this indescribable

disaster. He was the damn security officer! The security officer! He should be the one lying in

the dirt being trampled by the scurrying mass. Malcolm Reed knelt over the now listless body,

his chestnut hair almost touching it. Tears threatened to spill from his crystal blue eyes, but he

held it in. He held the pain in. Malcolm was so absorbed in his misery he didn't notice his closest

friend, Commander Trip Tucker, and the amiable Dr. Phlox come up behind him. Trip's often

good-humored voice now filled with emotion, called Malcolm back up from the pit of despair.

"Oh for crying out loud Mal! It's just a piece of cake!" cried Trip slapping Malcolm on the

back. Suddenly the mess hall dizzily came into focus and Malcolm found himself kneeling over a

piece of squashed pineapple upside down cake. Rising to his feet Malcolm managed to grumble

in embarrassment, "It's pineapple." Trip rolled his eyes at his usually stoic friend and gripped

him by the collar. "What are you doing?" Malcolm inquired in shock. "You gave Hoshi quite a

scare freaking out the way you did. Damn it Malcolm! She didn't mean to bump into ya! The

way you treat women! Crying over cake! No wander you have so much trouble with dating!

You treat cake better than women. ." rambled Trip launching himself across the mess hall like a

blond-haired torpedo with Malcolm in tow. When they reached Hoshi, Malcolm was redder

than an entire garden of tomatoes. "Trip is right!" Malcolm thought to himself. "I'm a bloody

idiot. A real-live bloody idiot." Trip plopped Malcolm in the seat across from Hoshi and slapped

him on the back again, a little harder this time. "If that man does that one more time . . . I really

don't find pain encouraging." Malcolm thought in a feeble attempt to distract himself from the

extremely beautiful and extremely nervous woman in front of him. After staring at his hands for

several minutes, Malcolm gathered the courage to look into Hoshi's deep almond eyes. "Hoshi .

. ." he began. "Malcolm . . ." Hoshi started at the same time. They both laughed breaking the

uncomfortable silence that had enveloped them. Hoshi took a deep breath and began a rushed

apology, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you. Travis stuck ice down my uniform.

Damn him, he's going to get it. I know pineapple cake is your favorite . . ." Malcolm put his

hand up in embarrassment. "Hoshi is apologizing when I should be the one begging for

forgiveness. You're down on the job again Malcolm Reed." Malcolm berated himself in his

mind. "Hoshi it is in no way your fault. I don't know why I acted the way I did about that cake."

Malcolm condoned softly eyes resting again on his hands.

Hoshi smiled and gently pushed Malcolm's chiseled face up so their eyes met. "I know why

you acted that way. You are in love with that cake. Guess I have some competition." She

teased her full red mouth twitching in mirth. Malcolm's eyes widened in surprise. "Guess you do.

I suppose I should go clean that bloody cake up." He countered with his eyes still locked on to

Hoshi's brown ones. Both Malcolm and Hoshi were so focused on each other they didn't notice

that Dr. Phlox had been standing next to them waiting to speak for quite some time.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. I believe that your theory is wrong Ensign.

Lieutenant Reed clearly overreacted over the cake due the fact that he has been bottling up

other emotions for quite some time. He "burst", if you will, from all the pressure. As for the cake,

don't worry about that hmm?" Phlox offered wiping off the crumbs from his suit; the crumbs

were golden brown that suspiciously looked like that of the now famous pineapple cake. "Uh

thank you doctor." Malcolm replied puzzled by the apparition before him. Phlox then grinned

widely and turned on his heel and soon became immersed in taste-testing from Travis's and

Trip's dishes two tables down. Malcolm turned back to a shocked looking Hoshi and managed

to whisper before bursting into laughter, "I guess you don't have to worry about the cake

anymore."  
  
Author's Note: Wow! That was just supposed to be a farce disguised as a shippage, but it is really a shippage disguised as a farce. Oh well, I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it. This is Mr. Hunky Tucker's first appearance in one of my fics. I'm not really sure how to write his accent. Suggestions, critiques, money, cookies, and reviews would be greatly appreciated!


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